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Thread ID: 119025	2011-07-01 07:53:00	Measuring the power usage of home appliances	braindead (1685)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1213859	2011-09-03 20:54:00	It also pays to check who you have as your power company. We were with Empower :mad:, then after going through powerswitch (http://www.powerswitch.org.nz) Using our current usage per month we are going to save just over $1600 per year (thats no typo) Geez. What do you use? I was with genesis, but then changed it to Online Energy (owned by genesis) to get the 20% discount. Savings if I change according to Powerswitch : $0	pctek (84)
1213860	2011-09-03 21:17:00	My mother has an under-sink hot water cylinder from which she takes enough hot water to do one sink-full of dishes a day. The she turns the cylinder off. The water cools down to around luke-warm and next time she has to heat the whole caboodle from scratch. So which is more economic? To heat from scratch or to leave the cylinder to cycle? I say it's the latter but I haven't tested it. The Electricity Commission carried out a study into this about 3/4 years ago, as part of an exercise to check out power reduction options for dry, low rainfall, years. They found that unless a cylinder is turned OFF for 16 hours a day or more, there was no real reduction in energy. This would be done with some assumption about cylinder size and age for NZ, so I would guess it would be averaging 180 litres, and "OLD" (not well insulated).	ellpow (16400)
1213861	2011-09-03 21:34:00	What does that actually do? Does it measure the power consumption of single appliances or the total amount of electricity being used in the house? I am also interested in reducing our electricity consumption. Our power bill is $30 to $40 per month more than a family member's, although we do have an extra freezer, kitchen and bathroom extractor fans, dishwasher (used every two days, not daily) and we use the electric jug a lot more. It is hard to believe that those appliances are costing us that much more to use, especially when our hot water cylinder is on night rate and their one isn't. The hot water cylinder is a biggie: wondering whether their cylinder is much more efficient than yours, because of your comment about them not being on night rate: are you able to check the manufacturing dates and any tank energy performance info stuck onto the tank itself and compare the two cylinders (also volume of water/length of showers....)? The modern cylinders are much better insulated. Some measurements from our situation: dishwasher 1.16kWh per load, freezer (super efficient model from supplier that sells to off-grid people): 0.8kWh a day, but you can double that for a not well performing freezer. (Measured with this http://www.degreesolutions.co.nz). Electric jugs: hot much is "a lot more"? 12 times a day, 5 minutes each time, 3 kW element: 3kWh a day, so could well explain a large part of the $30-$40 diff?? As for extractor fans: are the nameplate ratings of the fans accessible? Doubt if they are causing much of the difference though.	ellpow (16400)
1213862	2011-09-03 21:43:00	Can someone tell me how to post a link without the URL showing?? Thanks	ellpow (16400)
1213863	2011-09-03 22:40:00	Geez. What do you use? I was with genesis, but then changed it to Online Energy (owned by genesis) to get the 20% discount. Savings if I change according to Powerswitch : $0 Thats the point, its not so much what I use, but how much being charged. OK working from home and running several servers/ Computers 24/7 is going to bump it a bit, but we only have a wood burner for heating,electric hotwater & cooking ( no gas), and nothing out of the ordinary that most other households have. One person I know has a lot more than we do running ( including 6 PC's 24/7) , hes with Genesis and his power bill is a lot lower. Heres an example -- Attached is the result for the savings going by our final bill from Empower ( empower at the bottom), it was timed ( on purpose) so we got basically a full month, give or take 1-2 days. Going by that we will save $1449 /per year. The actual figures are entered in that site (and thats the important bit) and the results posted. According to Genesis, who have looked over our last years usage of power (not the cost but actual usage) then setting up evenpay & a few other things to reduce costs, and I asked to go by the highest estimated amount - we are quoted $157 / month, where as with empower out bills range between $360 -$ 420/ month. I questioned the amount @ genesis, they redid it and confirmed -- yes its right - so time will tell	wainuitech (129)
1213864	2011-09-03 22:51:00	Can someone tell me how to post a link without the URL showing?? Thanks One way -- click on the globe in the menu (See 1st attachment) Paste in the URL you want to present, click OK. Then in the area highlighted remove the text, and type in the wording you want. See second attachment.Type Name here (http://www.google.co.nz/) Then you will get the link as its currently posted.	wainuitech (129)
1213865	2011-09-06 05:37:00	The hot water cylinder is a biggie: wondering whether their cylinder is much more efficient than yours, because of your comment about them not being on night rate: are you able to check the manufacturing dates and any tank energy performance info stuck onto the tank itself and compare the two cylinders (also volume of water/length of showers . . . . )? The modern cylinders are much better insulated . Some measurements from our situation: dishwasher 1 . 16kWh per load, freezer (super efficient model from supplier that sells to off-grid people): 0 . 8kWh a day, but you can double that for a not well performing freezer . (Measured with this http://www . degreesolutions . co . nz) . Electric jugs: hot much is "a lot more"? 12 times a day, 5 minutes each time, 3 kW element: 3kWh a day, so could well explain a large part of the $30-$40 diff?? As for extractor fans: are the nameplate ratings of the fans accessible? Doubt if they are causing much of the difference though . Their HWC is older than ours and most likely half the size, since it is in a flat . I don't think they can get details off it . We boil our jug probably eight times a day, they boil theirs once . Their fridge-freezer is older as well, so most likely less economical . I turned off the chest freezer in the weekend so it will be interesting to see whether that has made a difference or not . Probably not much as it wasn't opened often .	FoxyMX (5)
1213866	2011-09-06 10:24:00	My mother has an under-sink hot water cylinder from which she takes enough hot water to do one sink-full of dishes a day. The she turns the cylinder off. The water cools down to around luke-warm and next time she has to heat the whole caboodle from scratch. So which is more economic? To heat from scratch or to leave the cylinder to cycle? I say it's the latter but I haven't tested it. Unless you are going away for a week it is not worth turning the cylinder off.	mikebartnz (21)
1213867	2011-09-06 20:52:00	Read your meter at the same time every day for a month you will soon see what devices have what affect on the power	gary67 (56)
1213868	2011-09-06 21:00:00	One way -- click on the globe in the menu (See 1st attachment) Paste in the URL you want to present, click OK. Then in the area highlighted remove the text, and type in the wording you want. See second attachment.Type Name here (http://www.google.co.nz/) Then you will get the link as its currently posted. Thank you Wainuitech	ellpow (16400)
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